1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to animal husbandry and specifically to fish culture. A cleaning apparatus for removing debris from fish breeding raceways and other water channels is disclosed.
2. Description of the Priot Art
Fish breeding raceways are lined channels having a directional flow of water, often supplied from a natural source such as a stream. The fish are maintained in the channel between screens at the opposite channel ends, permitting the current to flow through the screens and raceway. Organic debris naturally accumulates in the raceway and must be cleaned periodically. A common cleaning method is to use a brush to sweep the debris from the upstream end of the raceway to the downstream end, where some debris will be washed through the downstream screen by the current and the remaining debris can be removed by other means such as by temporarily removing the downstream screen or by drawing the debris out of the raceway by suction.
Improved sweepers have been proposed as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,187 to Casey, wherein a sweeper head having constantly applied suction is driven along a tank bottom by a motor powered cable. This type of cleaning system is installed in each tank in a permanent manner and represents a considerable quantity of peripheral equipment required in addition to the sweeper head.
A further cleaning technique is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,546 to Taborsky, wherein flowing stream water passes through a biological filter, at the end of which is a gate. Water flowing over the gate tends to drop carried debris in front of the gate. Thereafter, the gate is raised to allow the water to wash away the accumulated sediment. The benefit of this system is limited to a channel structured in such a way that substantially all sediment will be carried as far as the gate so that the desired washing can occur.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the above noted devices while providing an automated cleaning device for elongated water channels.